Christian Leadership Defined:
“A Christian leader is a humble, God-dependent, team-playing servant of God who is called by God to shepherd, develop, equip, and empower a specific group of believers to accomplish an agreed-upon vision from God.” – Dave Kraft
The Key Ingredients of Leadership:
Christian leaders are, first and foremost, servants (bond slaves) of the Lord, and second, servants of those they are leading.
They are characterized by humility, dependence, and team-playing, rather than being a loner or one-man show.
Christian leaders are called by God into leadership. They do not decide for themselves to be a leader. They are not pushed into leadership by well-meaning supporters, nor do they arrive at leadership because no one else will do it.
Christian leaders are moving toward a specific destination.
Christian leaders are creating and sustaining an agreed-upon vision. There is an initial buy-in and a growing ownership of the vision among those being led.
Christian Leaders Have 4 Major Responsibilities:
Shepherding—a leader loves and cares for those being led.
Developing—a leader helps those being led in their personal walk with Jesus Christ to become fully devoted followers.
Equipping—a leader trains those being led for ministry.
Empowering—a leader inspires, encourages, affirms, believes in, and frees people up to serve out of their gifting.
Contrasting Past and Future/Current Leaders
|
PAST LEADERS: |
FUTURE LEADERS |
|
Organizational |
Relational |
|
Operate in committees |
Operate in teams |
|
Command and control |
Permission-giving |
|
Degreed and elected |
Gifted and called |
|
Linear and pyramidal |
Overlapping circles |
|
Share propositional truth |
Tell stories |
|
People of the written page |
People of the screen |
|
Tightly structured |
Highly flexible |
|
Emphasize position |
Emphasize empowerment |
About The Author:
Dave is originally from the LA area. He is definitely a Southern California boy. Dave has been married to Susan for 42 years. They have four adult children and six grand children.
He served with The Navigators for 38 years leaving that organization in the fall of 2005. In those years with The Navigators, Dave had assignments in Southern and Northern California, Sweden, Colorado and Washington State.
He served as Pastor of Coaching and Leadership Development Mars Hill Church in Seattle & currently in Orange County, CA.
In addition to his work at Mars Hill, Dave is a Life Coach with Ministry Coaching International with headquarters in Bend, Oregon. Dave has the joy of coaching pastors around the country in developing a Life Plan to stay strong and healthy in their personal and family life. Building upon this, Dave helps each pastor think through their specific vision for their ministry and their game plan for building a team to help them carry it out. Visit this link to have Dave Kraft spend a weekend at your church.
When not recruiting training and placing leaders, which he truly loves, Dave likes to read, jog, listen to music and watch movies.
The excerpts above are from the introduction to his excellent book pictured above and published by Crossway Books in Wheaton, ILL., entitled Leaders Who Last, 2009.
LifeCoach4God 